Tue, 21 Feb 2012

Tesco targeted over unpaid workers

Protesters staged a demonstration at a Tesco store in central London to demand the company’s intern scheme is scrapped.

Members of the Right to Work group occupied the supermarket giant’s Westminster store near to the Houses of Parliament on Saturday (18 February).

According to the group Tesco has, over the past four months, used some 1,400 unpaid interns but only 300 got a job.

Right to Work spokesman, Mark Dunk, said: “Tesco doesn’t need the cash its profits for the first half of 2011 were £1.9bn.

“Instead of forcing people to work for free we need an end to job cuts and mass investment to address the scandal of unemployment.”

Tesco said: “We do employ almost 300,000 people in the UK – the biggest private sector employer.

“We would never offer longer term work on an unpaid basis. Work experience at Tesco should, wherever possible, lead to a paid job with us.”